


Cherry Bomb

by gemstonecircles



Series: Lions and Lambs [5]
Category: Gundam Wing
Genre: Don’t carry anyone else’s luggage, F/M, Found Family, Gen, Mariemaia is a teen nightmare, Relena and Dorothy Travel Team, Relena should know better, Relena using terms of endearment for Heero might be slightly ooc but I don’t care I love it, Sally is the glue that holds the Preventers together, Slice of Crazy Life, Une has too much on her plate, Une still has some Mean Thoughts, Une-centric, brought to you by a venti to the dome, especially not Duos, everything is fine and nothing hurts (too much), mother-daughter issues, no beta we die like men, silly fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-14
Updated: 2021-03-14
Packaged: 2021-03-22 15:06:49
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,578
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/30040527
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/gemstonecircles/pseuds/gemstonecircles
Summary: Prompt #15, "Some days you just can't get rid of a bomb."“Anyway,” Maxwell continued, “I didn’t even think about its potential explosive capacity until after I gave it to Relena. And then I told Sally, and she told Wufei, and now… I’ve told you.”Une stared at him for several long moments. “So Yuy doesn’t know you put his wife on a shuttle to a politically volatile colonywith a bomb.”Maxwell stared back at her, “I have a baby on the way. I don’t want todie.”
Relationships: Relena Peacecraft/Heero Yuy
Series: Lions and Lambs [5]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2189268
Comments: 6
Kudos: 17
Collections: Love Reflection March Madness (2021)





	Cherry Bomb

Commander Une sometimes wondered what she had been thinking. Of course, the impulse to adopt Treize’s daughter had been deeply emotional, profoundly compelled, as if she could save one small part of him from death. And Mariemaia was a gift, an undeserved miracle in her life, a life that had been marked by loss, cruelty, and a fractured self. She had never felt more whole than she had in the role of a mother, sewing the last stitches of herself back together, giving her a raison d'être that was not simply penance for the past, but purpose for the future.

The reality of a teenage daughter, however, was not something that she had been prepared for. Their current battles were centered around appropriate clothing for her school. Minister Darlian had advised Une, with very convincing arguments about defeating elitism and bettering the state of publicly funded education, to send Mariemaia to the local Open School, instead of a posh private school like the ones Relena and Treize had both attended. 

“Sending our children to schools with the children of non-political citizens not only shows that we do not think ourselves above anyone,” Relena had declared, “but also encourages our children to grow up in a world where they understand the struggles that others face. Equality of education is paramount for a truly unified society.”

Une had been swayed by the passionate argument, but hadn’t counted on one thing: the lack of school uniforms, a lack of which Mariemaia was doing her best to exploit. She felt torn. She wanted to allow Mariemaia autonomy, but at the same time, some of the clothes that Mariemaia had decided were perfect for school made Une spit out her morning espresso.

Sally had given Une a lecture on burgeoning sexuality and the need for independence, but Mariemaia was still living in Une’s home, and Une was completely unconvinced that the need for independence encompassed the need to wear neon spandex short-shorts to a place of learning. 

This difference of opinion had been voiced in increasing decibels and vulgarity, and Une sometimes found that she looked forward to going into the office and dealing with issues of domestic terrorism and civil defense. 

* * *

Of course, that day at work was chaos as soon as she came in. 

Preventer Chang was livid and Maxwell sheepish, which was never a good sign. Even as a contractor, Maxwell managed to rack up more expenses and bills than the rest of them combined, a fact mitigated only by the fact that he was extremely good at his job. She had a secret hope that she could pull him, and Winner too, to coming in as full-time employees. When she had voiced this to Sally, her medical officer had laughed over her worryingly enormous take-away coffee and quipped, “What, are you trying to collect the whole set? They aren’t toys, Lady.”

She had glared at Sally, but yes, Une admitted to herself, she would _very much_ like to have the whole set. There was something satisfying in complete units. 

Right now, she was walking back that opinion.

“You did _what,_ ” she barked at Maxwell, who put up his hands.

“It’s not a bomb _per say,_ ” Maxwell defensively, “It just could… be made into one. Easily. Potentially.”

Chang increased his grip on Maxwell’s shoulder, making him wince, “Stop prevaricating. You put Minister Darlian and CEO Catalonia on a shuttle to L2 with a bomb.”

Une looked tiredly at him, “Please tell me it isn’t active.”

Maxwell tripped over himself, “Honest to God, it’s not dangerous, I promise. There’s no way for it to become active without significant know-how. And it isn’t even meant to be incendiary, I just wanted Howard to look at the new energy processes, and you know how the post is on L2…” He trailed off and Une and Chang both nodded in grudging acquiescence. The L2 postal system was notoriously awful.

“Anyway,” Maxwell continued, “I didn’t even think about its potential explosive capacity until after I gave it to Relena. And then I told Sally, and she told Wufei, and now… I’ve told you.”

Une stared at him for several long moments. “So Yuy doesn’t know you put his wife on a shuttle to a politically volatile colony _with a bomb.”_

Maxwell stared back at her, “I have a baby on the way. I don’t want to _die.”_

Barton and Po entered the office just at that moment, wearing matching grave expressions.

“I suppose he’s told you,” Sally said to Une, folding her arms and sending a disappointed glance at Maxwell. He visibly deflated. Une wondered, for the hundredth time, how a glance from Sally managed to keep these men in line more than any of her yelling. 

Chang cut in, “If it isn’t activated, then it’s a _deeply idiotic_ mistake, but ultimately one without danger.”

Sally glanced over at him, “Physical danger, no. But political danger? What do we do when she gets caught with it?”

Une looked down on the desk, feeling defeated, “The press would eviscerate her, Catalonia, us…And it would deeply complicate the situation with L2.”

“Well,” Barton murmured, “don’t tell Yuy. Man can’t keep a secret. Too emotional.”

Sally nodded in agreement, “We shouldn’t tell _anyone._ We have to hope that it slips notice during security checks, because there is honestly no coming back from this if she gets caught. And her not knowing what it is becomes her only safeguard. She’s too honest. She’d straight up _declare_ that she had an experimental energy device that might, sort of, be a bomb.”

Une rubbed her temples, “Well at least they are only scheduled to be there for 24 hours. I guess we just have to watch and wait.”

* * *

“Just because you were fucking my Dad doesn’t mean you’re my Mom,” Mariemaia was yelling at her, and Une pushed down the small, awful urge to shout back. The Foreign Minister was on L2 with an unauthorized incendiary device, and her smart, wonderful, _horrible_ child had chosen tonight to try and sneak out to a party. She breathed in through her nose, out through her mouth, like her therapist had told her. Counted to ten.

“Go to your room, please,” she managed, “You are grounded, and I am very busy. We can talk about this tomorrow. Don’t try to sneak out again, I’m setting the perimeter alarms.”

Mariemaia stomped up the stairs, “Not too busy to stick your nose in my business.” 

Une put her head down on her home office desk. This was clearly karmic repayment for shooting a man as he was sucked out of an airplane. In her defense, her small, cruel lizard brain reminded her, it had been very, _very_ funny.

* * *

When Relena got off the return shuttle the next morning, she was her usual smiling self, but was clearly surprised to see them all. Catalonia looked at the cluster of Preventers and raised an eyebrow. She extricated her hand from where it was looped around Relena’s elbow and exchanged cheek kisses with her, murmuring, “Whatever this is, darling, I simply don’t have time for it,” before stalking off to her own waiting bodyguards and private plane.

Relena turned to look at them all, smiling but concerned. 

“Not that I don’t appreciate the welcoming committee,” she laughed, “but please tell me there isn’t a political disaster waiting for me. Dealing with L2 security was enough for me to pull out my hair and I desperately want some sleep.”

Une looked at her skeptically, “Did you have any… issues with security?”

Relena folded herself into Heero’s side as he relieved her of her briefcase and wrapped an arm around her waist. She huffed a little laugh, “You won’t believe this, but they put my teddy bear through the scanning machines _four times_. Apparently, it’s a red flag for a childless woman to travel with one. It kept setting off the sensors and it was deeply embarrassing. Everyone kept looking at us.”

Heero turned his head to look at her, “It was probably the tracking device I put in. They wouldn’t find it, but it might set off the advanced sensors. They’ve gotten more sensitive in the past few years.”

Relena turned _her_ head to stare back, “There’s a tracking device in my teddy bear? Since when?”

“Your sixteenth birthday.”

“Oh my god,” Relena huffed, slumping against him again, a hand over her face, “what the hell is wrong with you, honey.”

“There were no other issues?” Sally pressed, her combat boot firmly on Duo’s sneaker, pinning him in place.

“No, we had a lovely trip! Oh, Duo, Howard sends his best and thanked you for the new generator you sent. He said, and I quote, ‘she’s a beauty.’”

The pressure on Duo’s foot eased, and there was a collective silence.

“Well!” said Sally, finally, “We are just _really glad_ you are back!”

“Thank you?” said Relena, a bit confused, “I mean I appreciate it, but you didn’t all have to come out to greet me. But we should get home?” She let Heero escort her to the waiting car, both of them frowning in slight confusion, and Heero with considerable suspicion.

As the departed, Barton finally broke the ice.

“Situation defused.”

Everyone else laughed, but Une just glared. The rest of them might have the option to relax, but she had another bomb, a teenage one, waiting at home. 

And that one wouldn’t, and shouldn’t, slip under the radar.

**Author's Note:**

> I hate to admit this is based on a True Story (tm). (There wasn’t a bomb. But my teddy bear was scanned aggressively. It was tense.)


End file.
